


Intrinsic

by dahdeemohn



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Gen, Introspection, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-26 01:54:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7555567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahdeemohn/pseuds/dahdeemohn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter sees a new side to Finn after the title loss in Lowell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intrinsic

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this sitting around Google Docs for a while now, and decided that after the draft it might aid in the emotional weight of Sami and Finn ending up on the same roster together. Also I like Hunter and Finn's relationship.

“What the _fuck_ do you mean that I’m not getting called up?” Finn hissed, his eyes wide and feral, something that Hunter had never personally seen, and he was taken aback. While Hunter was rendered momentarily speechless, Finn managed to compose himself again.

It wasn’t like Finn to snap. In the nearly two years that he had been at NXT, he’d been a model employee: attentive, observant, and above all else, polite. Something that evening burned just under the surface, his gaze sharp, eyes steely. Perhaps his loss at Lowell had taken a larger chunk out of his pride than anyone could have anticipated.

“Look, I’m sorry. I know that I eluded to it, and I’m sorry that if you felt misled; if I misled you. That wasn’t my intent, you know that I wouldn’t do that to you.” Hunter placed a hand on Finn’s shoulder, and could feel Finn instinctively retract, conflict all over his face as he struggled to remain open with his boss, mentor, and friend. While Hunter was used to this sort of treatment from other members of the roster, he wasn’t used to it from Finn. “I just got told about this myself. They don’t have room for you yet. I’m sorry, kid. That’s just how it is.”

“Sure.” Finn quickly responded and looked down, the ground suddenly fascinating to him. His body was still tense, so Hunter took back his hand.

“Something on your mind?” Hunter cautiously asked, trying to sound as empathetic as possible as he studied Finn, watched as he internally retreated and tried to make himself look as small as possible. “You wanna talk?”

“No, just…” Finn exhaled. “Just thought that I was ready. Thought that this was finally happening.”

“C’mon, you’ll get your chance soon. It could be at any point, y’know? And you’ll be up there with everyone: Becky, Enzo, Cass, Zayn-”

“Yeah.” Finn cut him off and looked up. Hunter offered a gentle smile, which Finn returned, but there wasn’t a trace of anything genuine in the expression. It was dull without any of Finn’s usual luster. It was harrowing. Finn looked back down, phone in his hand, and Hunter’s eyes followed. For barely a second he saw Sami’s name being selected from the ‘contacts’ menu, and was caught off guard when he noted the simple red heart next to it. The phone was hurriedly tilted towards Finn, and after he cleared his throat, he excused himself and said the he needed to make a phone call.

“Sure, sure. I’ve taken up enough of your time.” Hunter waved him off with another smile.

Hunter had seen interpersonal relationships of all kinds build and crumble in this industry, some good, many ugly; he'd witnessed ironclad bonds forged, infatuation blossom, marriages crumble, and everything else in between that one human being could experience with another. Sometimes backstage politics had been dragged into a situation that otherwise should have been between two private parties, and admittedly sometimes he himself had gotten involved with or was even the cause for the calamity that ensued. 

Given how easily such things were exposed to the public eye in advent of the internet and social media, one of his first goals when he took over the WWE's developmental program was to foster an atmosphere that was healthier than what he and his cohorts generated, and in doing so they could minimize the risk of jeopardizing the future of this company's employee's careers over something as difficult to navigate as individual emotions. To meet this goal, he was cautious in selecting the talent that was approved to sign a contract, to make certain that on top of being talented in the ring, they would be able to also work well with others. 

Finn Bálor and Sami Zayn had hit it off almost instantly, despite Finn’s introversion, and it was everything that Hunter could have hoped for when it came to how the employees interacted with one another. Up until now, he had chalked it up towards similarities in interests and work ethics and personalities. You were bound to meet the people you’d end up closest to in life in this industry. But as Hunter looked over at Finn, a good distance away now with his shoulders slumped and head in hand as he talked on the phone, he sighed heavily and realized how intrinsically obvious everything was.


End file.
